NOVEMBER 2 - 12, 2004
TOP O' THE NEWS
- On-line travel booking growth continues to exceed forecasts
Growth in on-line travel bookings continues to exceed expectations; the latest forecast from JupiterResearch now predicts that US online travel sales will reach a year-end total of $54 billion; just a year ago Jupiter's estimate was $43 billion. At that point on-line bookings are expected to comprise 23% of all domestic travel sales. This rate of growth should continue through 2009, reaching a total of $91 billion and representing one third of all purchased travel. A key factor is seen to be a rise in online managed business sales, which are expected to nearly triple from this year's total of $12 billion to $32 billion by 2009.
**
Supporting the trend, Priceline.com reports that its third quarter 2004 gross travel bookings are up 44% over a year ago, at $432 million. This growth is more airfare-driven than hotel-driven, however; airline ticket unit bookings grew 65% over the year, while hotel room night bookings were up 27% and rental car bookings up 12%.
**
And a European Travel Monitor survey reported that online bookings throughout Europe increased by 39% in the first eight months of 2004. National habits are still different, though. The survey states that while the British are significantly more likely to use the Internet to book travel than the French or Germans (55%, vs. 33% of the French and 28% of Germans), Germans are the most frequent bookers of hotel accommodation and the French are more likely to book complete package tours. Overall, 45% of pre-booked trips by Europeans went through travel agents, 30% used the Internet and 25% "other channels". The Internet bookings were split 40% for airline tickets, 35% for accommodation and 25% for other travel add-ons. The survey covered of 150,000 travelers in ten European countries
**
Back to Top...
PEOPLE ON THE MOVE
- Roland Tanner joins Lanyon as Executive Vice President responsible for non-USA operations
Roland Tanner has joined Lanyon Inc. as Executive Vice President responsible for operations in Europe, Middle East, Africa, Asia and the Pacific. He will be based in Lanyons new office in England. Mr. Tanner brings 15 years of electronic hotel distribution experience, most recently as Vice President of Product Development for Pegasus, and earlier as Vice President of Information Technology and Distribution for Pegasus' Utell representation service. Before joining Pegasus he had served as Director of Reservations for Forte and Le Meridien Hotels and Resorts.
**
Back to Top...
PROPERTY MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS
- Penn Club of New York installs Hotel Concepts' IDPMS
- Softwear Group announces Attribute Inventory Manager
- Hassayampa Inn (Prescott, AZ) and La Fonda Hotel (Santa Fe, NM) install Maestro
- Imperial Palace Resort & Casino (Biloxi, MS) orders Agilysys' LMS
The 39-room Penn Club of New York has installed Hotel Concepts' IDPMS, including a custm-developed interface to its membership accounting program. (www.pennclub.org, www.hotelconcepts.com)
**
The Softwear Group has announced its Attribute Inventory Manager, AIM, a PMS add-on that allows for more flexibility on pre-assigning rooms to guests' reservations. The Room Rotation Manager module makes room assignments based on the specific room attributes a guest requests (e.g. king bed, ocean view) while leaving others (e.g. fireplace, balcony) unassigned. The VIP Guest Manager module weights room assignments based on five different guest attributes, such as VIP status or overall revenue generated historically. (www.softweargroup.com)
**
Two more Historic Hotels of America properties, the Hassayampa Inn in Prescott, Arizona and the La Fonda Hotel, in Santa Fe, New Mexico have installed Northwind's Maestro PMS. Maestro is now used by 10 Historic Hotels of America (HHA) properties. (www.hassayampainn.com, www.lafondasantafe.com, www.maestropms.com)
**
The 1,088-room Imperial Palace Resort & Casino in Biloxi, MS has ordered Agilysys' Lodging Management System (LMS). The complex includes a 70,000-square-foot floating casino, 600-seat showroom, six-theater cinema, 30,000-square-foot convention center, nine restaurants, seven bars, two lounges and a full-service spa and fitness center. (www.ipbiloxi.com, www.agilysys.com)
**
Back to Top...
RESERVATIONS
- Lake Tahoe Central Reservations and Stowe Area Association chose InntopiaCRS
- CNG Travel Group launches TLC (Travel Lodging Connector) in the UK
- DER Group signs with Pegasus for electronic distribution
- Pegasus to introduce weekly commission payments to travel agents in 1Q05
- Thistle Hotels, Olympia Viaggi and TravelNewYork.com sign for Pegasus' PegsTour
- Lodging Interactive signs worldwide reseller agreement with SynXis
The Lake Tahoe Central Reservations (LTCR) has selected Sterling Valley Systems' InntopiaCRS for its central reservations technology.
The Stowe Area Association (SAA) has chosen InntopiaCRS for its call center technology. Installation is scheduled for November 2004. The hosted, browser-based InntopiaCRS integrates seamlessly with Internet reservations at the call center's Web site and GDS and IDS providers, and enables non-lodging suppliers, including activity providers, equipment rental outlets and event promoters, to distribute inventory through these channels, for maximized customer packaging.
(www.gostowe.com, www.inntopia.com)
****
CNG Travel Group, which owns PlacesToStay.com, has launched its TLC (Travel Lodging Connector) in the UK. TLC allows travel agents to compare GDS hotel rates and merchant rates for hotels listed by PlacesToStay. TLC is slated to work with Worldspan, Sabre and Galileo by year end, and with Amadeus in 1Q05. launch client for the UK service is CorporateChoice, the business travel division of Worldchoice.
**
Germany's DER Group, which includes tour operator DERTOUR and travel agency chains DER and DER Business Travel, has signed with Pegasus Solutions for electronic distribution of hotel inventory on its travel Web site, launched in Europe this last September. DERTOUR has used Pegasus' commission processing service since 1995, and recently signed a contract extension with Pegasus through 2007.
Pegasus Solutions announced plans to introduce weekly commission payments from hotels to travel agents in 1Q05. Member travel agencies are presently paid commissions on a monthly basis. Pegasus is also introducing electronic deposit options for payments to member travel agency customers in approved countries in Europe and the Far East, a service currently only available inside the USA.
Thistle Hotels and tour operators Olympia Viaggi s.p.a. and TravelNewYork.com have signed for Pegasus' PegsTour service, which automates hotel bookings for wholesale and tour operators. PegsTour connects operators to multiple hotel central reservation systems, normalizing system functionality, booking data and transaction formats through one interface to offer real-time electronic delivery of allocation hotel reservations, as well as modifications and cancellations, to a hotel's central reservation system and property management system.
(www.derhotel.com, www.thistlehotels.com, www2.olympia.it, www.travelnewyork.com www.pegs.com)
**
Lodging Interactive has entered into a worldwide reseller agreement with SynXis Corp., covering both the standard HTML-based and the advanced "Flash"-based booking engines. (www.LodgingInteractive.com, www.SynXis.com)
**
Back to Top...
MARKETING / MANAGEMENT
- VFM Interactive releases PhotoFlicks video service
VFM Interactive has released its PhotoFlicks video service, which uses a hotel's current library of photography to create moving slide shows enhanced by music and voice-over narration. (www.vfmii.com)
**
Back to Top...
SALES & CATERING, MEETING PLANNING
- Magnolia Hotels orders Daylight's S&C system for three hotels
Magnolia Hotels has ordered Daylight Software's Advanced Sales and Catering system for its three hotels in Dallas, Houston, and Denver. Magnolia plans to centralize its national sales efforts at its corporate headquarters in Denver,a nd will used the Daylight system to book meetings and function space as well as coordinate its significant volume of executive extended stay business book. Daylight will interface directly with Magnolia's RDP property management system. (www.magnoliahotels.com, www.daylightsoftware.com)
**
Back to Top...
F&B/POINT OF SALE
- Fishbowl rolls out Guest Loyalty platform to its 3,000th restaurant
- Morongo Casino, Resort & Spa extends and upgrades its InfoGenesis Revelation POS
Fishbowl announced that it has rolled out its Fishbowl Guest Loyalty platform to its 3,000th restaurant, and is now used in over 100 national and regional chain operations. (www.fishbowl.com)
**
The Morongo Casino, Resort & Spa is implementing InfoGenesis' Revelation POS in its expansion project, due for completion by year-end, and will update the existing InfoGenesis solution at the property. InfoGenesis will install ten new IBM SurePOS 500 touch screen terminals and two Motion Computing M1400 tablet computers for the new bars and restaurants; in total, the operation will utilize more than 75 IBM terminals throughout the resort. (www.morongocasinoresort.com, www.infogenesis.com)
**
Back to Top...
GUEST SERVICES
- NTT DoCoMo to acquire inter-touch
- Hilton Nanjing installs broadband Internet access from inter-touch
- Galt House orders HotSOS for three properties
- Netsys-America launches high-speed Internet access (HSIA) products in USA
- Renaissance Mayflower in Washington, DC to install Bartech automatic minibars
- INNCOM announces Guestroom Digital Assistant (GDA-700) "smart room" control device
- INNCOM adds mesh net Radio Frequency (RF) routing to minimize signal interference
- TeleAdapt launches retail line of connectivity equipment for the hospitality market
- Gold Key Solutions completes 100th installation of Concierge Assistant guest services system
- Grand Ely Lodge Resort installs StayOnline's wireless HSIA, will install at three other sites
- Kensington House is first London hotel to offer Smoovie Pay TV
- Caesar Park Hotel Panama completes first phase wireless high-speed Internet access from Teletronics
In an interesting move, Japan's NTT DoCoMo (which grew to prominence by promoting and riding the text-messaging phenomenon on mobile phones) is acquiring inter-touch (BVI) Limited, a provider of wired and wireless Broadband connectivity in 28 countries across Asia Pacific, China, the Middle East, Africa and Europe.
The Hilton Nanjing has installed broadband Internet access from inter-touch in all 547 guestrooms and suites, as well as its conference and banquet facilities and Business Centre.
(www.inter-touch.com, www.nanjing.hilton.com, www.nttdocomo.com)
**
The 1,300-room Galt House has ordered MTech's Internet-enabled HotSOS Hotel Service Optimization System for quality control and customer relationship management, and plans to deploy it at two more properties in 2005, the 650-room Executive West and the 550-room Executive Inn, both in Louisville. (www.m-tech.com)
**
Netsys-America LLC, the US sales arm of Taiwan-based National Enhance Technology Corp., launched its high-speed Internet access (HSIA) products for hotel/motel operators and resellers serving the hospitality industry. Netsys provides wired HSIA options including VDSL, HPNA, and standard Ethernet; wireless access can be added in common areas. (www.netsys-direct.com)
**
The Renaissance Mayflower Hotel in Washington, DC has ordered Bartech automatic minibars for its 657-room property as part of the hotel's $10 million guest room renovation. The minibar network will use both the existing Ethernet communications infrastructure and wireless networking, the latter for guest rooms inaccessible to the existing Ethernet network. (www.bartech.com)
**
INNCOM International announced its Guestroom Digital Assistant (GDA-700), a compact all-in-one "smart room" guestroom control device. The GDA-700 unit features color touch-screen displays for controlling room temperature, lights and drapes, alarm clock, digital radio, and two-line speakerphone. Additional features include energy-management functionality, guest services communications, automated CRM monitoring, staff reporting functions and voice annunciation. It can be programmed in six languages, display special offers, be programmed with local information such as restaurants or local weather conditions, and includes a high speed-internet access hub for both wired and wireless connectivity.
INNCOM International has added a mesh net Radio Frequency (RF) routing architecture to minimize traditional RF signal interference issues. The new mesh net architecture creates multiple communication paths, allowing each RF node to become its own routing option, and smartly selects and shifts RF nodes as needed to find the quickest, cleanest way to the gateway.
(www.inncom.com)
**
TeleAdapt has launched a retail product line of connectivity equipment for the hospitality market. The product is packaged for sale from the hotel minibar, souvenir shop, business center, concierge or room service, and includes end user computer accessories, electronic cables and chargers, USB accessories including a retractable scrolling mouse and a GSM SIM Back-up device. (www.teleadapt.com)
**
Gold Key Solutions has completed the 100th installation of its Concierge Assistant guest services system, at the 440-room Caesars Tahoe Hotel and Casino in Lake Tahoe, Nevada. The system tracks off-property reservations and in-house activities, and can provide guests with a printed itinerary with times, directions, and hours of operation for each event during their stay. (www.goldkeysolutions.com)
**
The Grand Ely Lodge Resort and Conference Center has installed StayOnline's wireless high speed Internet access service, and will install it at three other properties managed by the Madison Hospitality Group: the Holiday Inn in Alexandria, MN, the Inn at Reading in Wyomissing, PA and the Ramada Inn in Anderson, SC. (www.madisonhospitalitygroup.com, www.stayonline.net)
**
Kensington House is the first London hotel to offer Smoovie Pay TV, a miniature remote control that hotel guests buy at reception to provide access to all four movies channels for 24 hours of unrestricted viewing. The system is compatible with Philips TVs; the remote resets itself after 24 hours use in the hotel room, so guests can take it home and use it on their own Philips TV set.
**
The Caesar Park Hotel in Panama has completed the first phase of its installation of full wireless high-speed Internet access with Sistemas Inalambricos SA, a Panamanian systems integrator, and its U.S. partner, Teletronics International. The initial implementation is of a traditional wireless system, but later this year SISA will upgrade the network with Teletronics' WoCATV solution, which distributes a Wi-Fi signal via the existing CATV cable connected to each room. (www.teletronics.com)
**
Back to Top...
ENGINEERING
- INNCOM and SAFLOK release interface to shut down HVAC system from any keylock
- INNCOM releases low-noise VFD-4 Variable Speed Fan Drive
- Metromedia releases HotelEXPERT XMfm with data-enabled CAD drawings
- Onity/Senercomm completes beta testing of SensorStat Wireless DDC
- Mintek survey reports top reasons for sub-optimal preventive maintenance (PM)
INNCOM International and SAFLOK have released an interface that automatically shuts down a property's HVAC system in an emergency with the insertion of a specially programmed magnetic-stripe keycard in any lock in the hotel. The feature is designed to prevent the spread of fire smoke or chemical/biological hazards through the HVAC system. When the pre-programmed card is inserted into any door lock in the building, the lock transfers the signal over the INNCOM network to the server, which broadcasts a signal to all the guestrooms to shut-down the fan operation. The same server can also notify systems such as the building-management system (BMS) of this condition, and can activate the fire-alarm system. Lead client for the interface is the Sheraton Centre Toronto.
INNCOM International also released its VFD-4 Variable Speed Fan Drive, designed to reduce noise and provide more precise air flow to maintain temperature settings.
(www.saflok.com, www.inncom.com)
**
Metromedia Software has released its HotelEXPERT XMfm product, which it describes as Visuals-driven Engineering (VISE). XMfm combines HotelEXPERT's maintenance control features with MicroMain's engineering software to display information and maintenance history of items shown on CAD (computer aided design) data-enabled drawings. (www.metromediasoftware.com)
**
Onity/Senercomm has completed beta testing of its SensorStat Wireless DDC, which it launched in July this year. This thermostat control is a wireless radio frequency- (RF) controlled unit which uses a spread spectrum wireless network to provide energy management where access was previously cost prohibitive, through wireless device-to-device networking. Full production is planned for 1Q05. (www.onity.com.)
**
According to a survey conducted by Mintek Mobile Data Solutions, the top reasons why hotel engineers and managers believe they are unable to perform optimal preventive maintenance (PM) are:
- Staffing shortage, leading to a focus on day-to-day priorities instead of PM.
- Lack of training/experience, leading to non-optimal PM being performed.
- Aging hotel issues, as equipment failures occur more frequently and override PM schedules.
- Improper maintenance scheduling, related to lack of resources and time but compounded if, for example, guestroom access for PM isn't scheduled well with the front desk.
- Lack of management commitment, with restriction in PM funds leading to increased costs as equipment fails prematurely.
- Poor record keeping of when, how and who performed maintenance, leading to a lack of accountability.
(www.mintek.com)
**
Back to Top...
SECURITY
- INNCOM and SAFLOK release interface to shut down HVAC system from any keylock
- Kaba launches ATLAS (Advanced Technology Lodging Access System) locking system
- VingCard Elsafe launches survey program to improve its customer service
INNCOM International and SAFLOK have released an interface that automatically shuts down a property's HVAC system in an emergency with the insertion of a specially programmed magnetic-stripe keycard in any lock in the hotel. The feature is designed to prevent the spread of fire smoke or chemical/biological hazards through the HVAC system. When the pre-programmed card is inserted into any door lock in the building, the lock transfers the signal over the INNCOM network to the server, which broadcasts a signal to all the guestrooms to shut-down the fan operation. The same server can also notify systems such as the building-management system (BMS) of this condition, and can activate the fire-alarm system. Lead client for the interface is the Sheraton Centre Toronto. (www.saflok.com, www.inncom.com)
**
Kaba has launched its ATLAS (Advanced Technology Lodging Access System) locking system in partnership with IBM, which will supply all of the computer hardware components including the server-based PC (or desktop standard PC) and monitor. ATLAS offers standard encoding, Windows platforms, TCP/IP connectivity and infrared communication (IrDA) with electronic locks using a handheld PDA-based maintenance unit (M-Unit), and can be integrated with most point-of-sale (POS) and property management system workstations such that guests can use their keycards to charge items and services to their room account. (www.kaba.com/index-e.html)
**
Through a new initiative titled "We're Listening," ASSA ABLOY's VingCard Elsafe division is launching a program to improve its customer service. It has retained Worldwide Travel Marketing to query customers at the hotel-company level, and two additional companies to conduct the survey at the property level. The survey's results are scheduled to have been reviewed and tabulated by year end. (www.elsafe.com, www.vingcard.com)
**
Back to Top...
